Mercedes-Benz GLC300 vs Maserati Grecale

What's the difference?

Just seeing a coupe SUV in the traffic makes some people very cranky, but others love the sight of them and it’s these fans that Mercedes-Benz is hoping to woo with its new GLC300 Coupe.

This new-generation GLC Coupe arrives six months after the regular SUV version of the GLC landed in Australia and goes head-to-head with the BMW X4 and Audi’s Q5 Sportback.

The coupe style with the ‘cut-down’ roofline which slopes towards a low tailgate means practicality is compromised and if you’re thinking of putting one in your family’s driveway then it might be an idea to read how this writer’s family coped with the GLC300 Coupe for a few days.

There's something about Italy and four-wheeled transport. Even the most functional vehicles developed there somehow morph into high-performance hot rods.

For example, as the SUV phenomenon has swept the world Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati have more than matched the German big three and others in elevating the humble family truckster to supercar status.

And the Grecale Trofeo is the latest example of Maserati's inability to let an SUV be simply practical. It's a mad twin-turbo V6 all-wheel-drive version of the more typically four-cylinder-powered mid-size SUV.

We spent a week with this ferocious beast to see how much spice it can add to family life.